How Does a Food Addict Deal with Stress?

Everyone has stress. In the world we live in, it’s hard to avoid. A food addict deals with stress by eating. Food is comforting, and supposedly makes us feel better. But, does it really?

During stressful events in my life, the first thing I was conditioned to do was to eat something – anything. Now when I am stressed, I still crave all the same foods that had comforted me in the past. I have visions of pizza and chocolate cake dancing in my head.

What do I do? At lunch time, I make my usual lunch: 4 oz turkey breast, lettuce, tomato and onion on 2 slices of whole grain bread. I know in my heart that eating something off of my program isn’t going to change my situation, and I am very proud of myself for sticking to it. 

How do I avoid temptation? There are several ways. First, I don’t have any foods in my refrigerator or freezer that are not on my program. That piece of chocolate cake and slice of pizza are not in my home anymore.

Below is a list of steps to add to your plan to make sure that when that time comes that you are under stress and vulnerable to eat, you will have these steps in place and stay on your program.

1.  Clean out your refrigerator, freezer and pantry and fill it with foods that are only on your list to eat, so you won’t be able to grab something that is not on program.
2. Have snacks prepared ahead of time so you can just pull them out when needed. I always have my cereal mix (1/2 cup whole grain cereal, 1/4 cup almonds/walnuts and 1/4 cup dried fruit) in plastic bags.
3. Always have chopped up veggies in your refrigerator so that they are easy to grab as a snack.
4. Fruits, dried fruits and nuts are a must. Make sure they are handy.
5. Drink a bottle of water before you make a food choice.
6. Take a minute to think about what you want to eat and just don’t grab anything.
7. If all else fails, take yourself out of the situation. Go for a walk, call a friend or simply occupy yourself doing something that takes you away from the kitchen or thoughts of food.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you.

You know that I am a planner so below is my food menu for this week:

Sunday and Saturday: stuffed whole wheat pizza

Monday and Thursday: stuffed turkey meatloaf

Tuesday and Friday: broiled tilapia with veggies

Wednesday: turkey dogs with sauerkraut on a whole grain bun.  

Remember my rules: Make a double batch so that you have enough for the week and keep it simple!  

After 5 weeks on the program I have lost 24 pounds, 8 inches off my waist, and my sugar/glucose has come down 28 points. Please join me in my journey to wellness and email me at Riare43a@aol.com. Have a happy and healthy week!